To prevent electrical problems in your commercial building, you have to keep your electrical system working properly. This can only be achieved through regular maintenance of different parts of your electrical system. One of the most critical components of your building’s electrical system is the electrical panel.
An electrical panel is a small box attached to the wall that carries different circuit breakers and other delicate components that distribute power from the utility company to your appliances and lights in your commercial building.
This box and its components can become corroded and accumulate dust and other fragments over time, putting the entire electrical system at risk. Therefore, it needs to be appropriately maintained and serviced regularly. But when should you service your commercial building’s electrical panel? Here are some of the important signs that you should look out to know your electrical panel needs to be serviced or replaced.
- The circuit breaker keeps tripping.
- Hot and warm parts on the panel
- The unit is corroded or has mold growing in it
- Large amounts of dust and other debris inside the panel
- Plastic-burning odor
- Fire evidence on the panel
Even if you do not see any of these signs in your electrical panel, it is still important to have it inspected by a professional electrician once in a while. During the inspection, your electrician will look for signs of deterioration or unnecessary connections that might cause fire accidents. They will also do a thermal inspection to check for high temperatures in your electrical panel, which could point to a serious electrical problem.
This routine maintenance by a professional electrician should be done at least every three years. That way, your electrical panel will remain functional, clean, and safe. Excessive dust and corrosion will wreak havoc on your panel, putting you and your tenants at the risk of fire accidents resulting from electrical faults.
How to Maintain Your Commercial Building’s Electrical Panel
Many other tasks are involved in the maintenance of an electrical panel other than the professional inspection. For instance, you should always ensure that the lid is tightly locked all the time. This helps to prevent dust and other external elements from entering the panel and causing damages.
Most homeowners wrongly believe that their electrical panels are supposed to last as long as their homes do. This is wrong because the connections in your panel will loosen and the components will become corroded over time. Furthermore, recurring power surges will shorten the lifespan of your electrical panel
